When I walked in the shop, Sam and Bruce were huddled behind the register. The air was tense.
Sam looked up.
‘You’re late,’ he said, annoyed.
‘There was a problem with my bike.’
Sam, preoccupied, headed to his office. Over his shoulder, he addressed Bruce.
‘Shouldn’t you be returning to work?’
‘Yes sir,’ Bruce said.
Bruce didn’t make eye contact with me as he left. The quiet store echoed the lively bell as the door shut. I stood behind the counter and put on my vest and lanyard.
‘Now that you’re finally here,’ Sam said, emerging from the office with his bag, ‘I can get ready for my appointment.’ He stopped at the shop door, holding it open with one hand. ‘Remember, Val. Nine o’clock, and not a minute sooner, you hear me?’
I mimicked Bruce.
‘Yes sir.’
~~~
By eight thirty the dark clouds of the storm had settled in, causing the usual yellowy glow of the street to be doused in dark grey and purple. The violent sky grumbled above, sending vibrations through the glass windows and door.
The bell sounded sweetly, causing me to look up from my phone.
‘Hey,’ June said, poking her head through the door. ‘I just had my last appointment. Want me to drive you home before the rain starts?’ This was her go-to olive branch after a fight.
‘Can’t, Sam wants me to stay open till nine.’
‘Why?’ June asked, looking around the very empty store. ‘It’s not like there’s anyone wandering the streets. Plus, I don’t want you riding that bike of yours if there’s lightning.’
‘I don’t have my bike,’ I said. ‘Flat tires.’
‘Well, I’ll just wait till you’re finished,’ June said.
‘I can drive her home.’ Bruce had appeared in the store. I hadn’t heard the bell sound.
‘Oh, that would be awesome,’ June smiled. ‘You need to be careful in here, though. I heard the winds are going to get rough. All I can think about are these glass windows.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Bruce said.
‘I’ll see you after nine then,’ June said to me. She left and I watched her retreating figure run across the road to her car.
‘Got much left to do?’ Bruce said.
‘Not really. Nobody has been in store for the last two hours.’
Bruce joined me at the window. The rain had started to pitter patter on the glass, but I knew it wouldn’t remain that calm for long. I could already tell the wind was picking up, heading for a dangerous speed.
‘You know,’ Bruce said, ‘it wouldn’t be the worst thing if people thought we were sneaking around because we were dating.’ Bruce’s voice dropped. ‘In fact, I’m sure nothing would please my father more.’
‘That sounds ominous.’
‘Trust me,’ Bruce said, ‘there’s a lot more to this story you don’t know.’
I took a step towards him, eager to keep him talking. The rain hit harder against the windows, as if sensing my urgency.
‘Tell me what’s going on.’
Bruce looked out to the streetscape and started to shut the venetian blinds.
‘We don’t have much time. I have to get you home.’
I stood up tall, crossing my arms.
‘I’m not going anywhere until you tell me the truth.’
Bruce sighed.
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘I was the one who left that note for you.’
I thought back to the handwritten note “THEY ARE WATCHING YOU”.
‘You? You left me that note? What about my arms?’ I asked, taking a few steps back.
‘I didn’t do that,’ Bruce said. He held his arms out as if surrendering. ‘That was Eleanor. She’s been following you. I tried to warn you as best I could, but they have eyes on me.’
Eleanor’s cold eyes flashed in my mind and I shivered.
‘What did she do to me?’
‘As far as I know, she was only meant to take some blood samples. The founders, they wanted you for their cause. They wanted you to join them. But you kept resisting at every opportunity, as if their persuasions just rolled right through you. You have this immense spirit, something they wanted on their side. So, they decided to break you.’
‘Their side?’
‘There’s a lot you don’t know Val,’ Bruce said, his voice quivering. ‘So much more.’
The thunder crackled in the sky. Through the glass door, I could see lightning split through the clouds at a vicious speed, lighting up the room in white. It seemed to ignite something in Bruce and his voice became manic.
‘You need to get out of here. I need to get you somewhere safe and away from me. From everyone.’
‘What are you talking about? You’re scaring me, Bruce.’
The thunder cracked again, and the wind whooshed against Sam’s store. When the lightning hit again, the store’s lights cut out. We stood in darkness, the sound of the rain overbearing.
‘I have less time than I thought,’ Bruce whispered. He headed for the door.
‘Wait. Why did they take my blood?’
‘For research,’ Bruce said. ‘They wanted to know why you could resist them. There’s a group of us, a small fraction on the island, who are trying to stop them. I had thought maybe my father was so interested in you because your blood might lead to a cure.’
The storm kept drowning out his voice and I wasn’t sure what I was hearing.
‘A cure? A cure for what?’
With a bang, a palm tree fell against the front door, barricading us in. The glass cracked under the weight of the tree but didn’t shatter. The loud wind broke through the cracks and icy air quickly filled the room. Bruce and I jumped back. Water started to sputter through the cracks, wetting the front mat.
‘Oh shit!’ I said. ‘June was right about the windows.’
‘No, no, no,’ Bruce said. ‘We don’t have time. We can’t be stuck here.’
Bruce stood still, looking to be weighing up his options. Without warning, he threw his body against the door, causing the glass to crack deeper.
‘Bruce!’ I yelled. ‘What are you doing?’
‘We need to get out of here,’ he grunted as he ran up and threw himself against the glass again. Blood trickled down from his shoulder.
‘Not like that. You’re bleeding.’
I ran to Sam’s office and tried to find a first aid kit in the dark. I found one in his bottom desk drawer and ran back to the front of the store.
The wind had picked up again, causing plants and anything that wasn’t tied down to fly rampant outside. More windows had cracked, with the blinds flapping and banging hard against their frames. Water flew into the shop.
A stop sign soared across the road and smashed straight into one of the store windows. Glass scattered across the old carpet. I shrieked and dropped to the ground. The wind was deafening. I called for Bruce, but I couldn’t see him.
On my hands and knees, I crawled to safety behind the register, only to see Bruce. He was tying himself down using some rope from the shelves. Crumbled glass stuck out from his shoulder. Blood streaked down his arm like a watercolour.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ I said. I crawled over to him and tried to take the rope from his shaking hands.
‘They’re planning something. Once I change, I won’t be in control anymore. My father will be.’
‘I don’t understand,’ I said.
Lightning struck again, this time a lot closer. The room lit up and, as I stared at Bruce, his eyes seeming to roll back into his head. He dropped the rope, his hands balling into two fists by his side.
‘Run,’ Bruce said through clenched teeth. ‘Get out of here, get off this island.’
‘Bruce?’ I whispered.
My attention fell on the glass in his arm. It started to gradually pop from beneath his skin, the wounds slowly starting to turn white.
I pulled my hands back, sitting on my heels.
The thunder sounded, a deep and rough grumble. It felt like it came from the earth beneath my feet. Bruce’s body started to curl in on itself, his hands holding the back of his head. Over the rainstorm, I could just make out he was screaming.
‘Bruce!’ I said again, reaching forward to grab his shoulder. Before I could, his head snapped up and white eyes stared back at me.
‘Go!’ Bruce roared, fangs sprouting roughly from his gums. I jumped back, knocking over several things behind the counter as I did so.
Bruce stood. Thick pointed claws sprouted from his fingertips, razor sharp and covered in grey and oozing thick fluid. His bones snapped as his body jerked inwards. He emerged a foot taller, his eyes dropping back into his skull and his skin pulled taut against his bones.
A spindly, skeleton-like creature stood before me, its eyes locked to mine.
Clouds Behind the Moon is written by Olivia Hides and will be published serially throughout the year.